All Nippon Airways (ANA) hosted an event at Haneda Airport on April 27th, allowing aviation enthusiasts the chance to photograph airplanes up close at the nighttime parking area.
The event was organized by two employees from the maintenance center, aiming to delight aviation fans. A Boeing 787-9 aircraft (registration: JA836A), arriving from Houston to Haneda Airport as flight NH113 at 2:52 PM on April 27th and completing maintenance, was prepared at Spot 202 in front of the hangar.
▲One of the event organizers, former line maintenance technician Hiroaki Nakano
Before the photography session, former dock maintenance technician Akehane Shiraishi and former line maintenance technician Hiroaki Nakano explained features of the 787 model, such as the emergency escape hatch for flight crew located at the top of the nose, the cabin air compressor (CAC) that sends compressed air for air conditioning inside the cabin, and the wipers in the cockpit positioned vertically instead of horizontally, introducing maniac points of interest.
Afterwards, participants went through the hangar, which is also part of the “ANA Blue Hangar Tour” route, to the normally inaccessible parking area. For about 60 minutes, they walked around the aircraft, interacting with volunteers including maintenance technicians, flight operations managers, and cabin crew, taking their time to photograph the engine, landing gear, and other details from various angles. According to ANA, the 30 available slots were filled in just about 3 hours after registration opened at 2 PM on March 28th.
Shiraishi and Nakano proposed the “Nighttime Airplane Photography” series through the company’s internal new business proposal system “Gattsuri Plaza”. On March 23rd, as the first installment, they held a photo session of a Boeing 777-300ER (registration: JA787A) inside a hangar at Haneda Airport. The JA836A featured this time is one of ANA’s flagship Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and it was the first to be configured for international flights. The organizers expressed their desire to showcase the 787-9 after previously featuring the large 777-300ER. They mentioned, “Despite the difficulties of arranging aircraft on the first day of Golden Week, we managed to prepare thanks to the cooperation of related departments.”
▲One of the event organizers, former dock maintenance technician Akehane Shiraishi
“Gattsuri Plaza” was initiated in the fiscal year of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for business proposals from employees that could be monetized and sustained over a short period. The initiative has led to several realized projects, such as the commercialization of a stamp book in collaboration with Anamori Inari Shrine, proposed by the maintenance division, and the sale of upcycled room shoes from discarded seat covers, proposed by the HR department.
▲Specific cabin air compressor (CAC) of the 787 model
▲Position of the wipers, a unique feature of the 787 model
▲Unique upper emergency exit of the 787 model
▲Souvenirs given to participants included lens cleaners and flight tags, designed by Shiraishi and made from upcycled fabric of the jumpsuits worn by maintenance technicians
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
